Hybrids?

[bps3040]

We hunt West Texas, around Dryden. We have Mule deer and Whitetail. I shot one a few years ago and got a ticket. Texas does recognize crossbreed/hybrids.

My buddy shot a big doe last week. She had characteristics of a whitetail. Our whitetails are tan bodied right now, Mule deer are gray. She was tan, with short ears and Mule deer tail. Mule deer tear glands also.

My other buddy shot a smaller Mule deer. Gray, typical mulie.

Here are the heads


The tan head is the older and twice as big doe. Yet ears are smaller.



Picture of each deer

On trail cam, we have a picture of 2 Mule deer. One has a whitetail looking tail and the other a typical Mule deer tail


Anyone else seeing this at their place? What do y’all think?




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[centex_aggie]

Why wouldn’t you just assume the game cam pic is a whitetail and a mule deer? How do you know the one on the left is a mulie?


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[talltexasshoote]

I was told by our game warden that the tail had better match the tag. We get cross breeds for sure. We tag them by what tail they sport.

[bps3040]

Why wouldn’t you just assume the game cam pic is a whitetail and a mule deer? How do you know the one on the left is a mulie?


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We had other pictures in the series. Also, our Mule deer and whitetail do not hang with each other. The Mule deer leave if a whitetail comes out.


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[tx.biologist]

Look at the Metatarsal on the outside of the rear leg, WT are around 1" in diameter. MD are much larger and elongated larger than 1 1/2-2".

Hybrids have both physical characteristics, ears, tail but a larger Metatarsal than WT and smaller than MD. I have come across both in VV Co